Adjustable shelving construction



Aug. 24, 1948. D. KLINE ADJUSTABLE SHELVING CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 17, 1945 WIWI I il? INV Aug. 24, 1948. D. KLINE ADJUSTABLE SHELVING CONSTRUCTION 2 sheets-sheet 2l Filed Feb. 17, 1945 @www5 Qwnwwhu Patented ug. 24, 1948 Unirse STATES PATENT OFFICE Donalil"Kliie,`. Aurora.; Ill., assigner toBlackstone Manufacturing Coi,- Inc., Chicago,V Ill., aI corporationfo Illinois Application" FebruaiyY 17, 1945,` serial No'. 578,428

celaims.: (Cl. zul-136i Thisinvention relates to a; cabinet construction and more particularly'l to] a' knock-down'- type of metaicabinet that may be' assembledlv and disassembled with a minimumV o f bolts'. 4

Metal cabinets; of the knock-down type havev generally'been divided'into two'types. Que type involves a cheap constructiorivgenerally' usi-ng stamped `sheet metalw parts; This' type of constructionrequiresa `large number of bolts-for assembly and cannot be assembled or disassembled without v substantial timel and expense. The other type of construction involvesl relatively' massive parts inherently expensive to manufacture. This latter type of construction' isy relatively easy to assemble and` di'sassem'ble. -I-Ibvvever, the great' weight ofthe construction, as well as its expense, precludes' any extendedl use thereof'. y

The invention hereinafter described provides a metal cabi-netA` construction which oombinesthe best features of the above types. Thus;` a.-v cabinet embodying this invention is generally-simple to' manufacture, invert/'esN STaYI'MI-i-gl and bending" of metal, and doesf not reduire" expensive dies' or heavy and expensive for-iningf operations. mechanical structure `of a cabinet len'ibo'tiying this invention is such as to'utilize the Ir'ietal toitsv fullest advantage and thus permit lighter' gauge metal to bei used; Assembly and disassemblyof the construction is comparatively simple andE requires a minimum of bolts.` Furthermore, anished cabinet is comparatively lig-ht in weigl'it.:4

In order that the inventionmay bey more thoroughly` understood, reference Will'nowbe made to the drawings wherein; Figure 1 is a front elevation of a cabinet embodying this invention. Figure 2 is a sectional' view on 2`2f of Figure? 1. Figure4 is a section on` 3-3` of Figure' l. Figure 4 is a' perspectivev detail of a top' shelf. Figurer 5 isl a perspective detail of one of the remaining'shel'ves; Figure 6 is a perspective detail of a supporting post. Figure7 is aA perspective detail: ofa-niodi` fied' shelf construction.

The drawings show two sections `ofcabinet joined. to form a unitary structure; Itislunden stood that the number of sections may be expanded inden-itely; However, for purposes of illustration, two'v sections are ample;

berdescribed. Section l has a pairo'if front posts` i2 and I 32 and a pair' of' rearposts-V I4 and'L l5;- Section il utiliZes postsl |'3 and I-5 in' Gommoni with section ltll and, addition; has front andA rear postsl l'ar'ld' l-l respectively'at the end. In:VV asmuch as all the frontfpostsfarevsimi-laifcon Trie 'Ihu's secy tions Illand Il` areshownin detail and-'will now' struction and all the rear posts are similar'in construction,` only one of each will be described in detail.

Thus, referring to post I2, it will be noted that this has'sides' I8 to 2l inclusive shaped to have a generally rectangular cross section. The rectangularsectionlmay be changed to anyother desire'cl shape. The entire post is formedof an elongated strip of steel or other material with free' edge portions 22l and 23 shaped to abut andy forin a web. Free edge portions 22 and 23 are' immediately adjacent'side 2i, this side being formedv from the two portions of metal.

Asis clearly evidentin Figure 2, 'free edge portions 22" and 23 are bolted together at the extreme top and bottom of the post. Thus, at the top,` apair of bolts 215 and 28 together Iwith nuts may be usedr forretaining the structure rigidly in` position. T'op1p1ate" 3'il,to bev described in detail later, may be provided with depending sides 3l having suitable apertures 32 and 33 therethrough,- through whi'chbolts 25 and 2t pass. Bolts 2'5 and 26 maintain top plate 3i] and the top' otpo'st l2 rigidlyin position.

The bottom ofpost' I2 is' similarly provided With" bolts 35 and 3B passing through abutting edge 'portions 22- andl 23' and may have bottom shelfV 31 bolted thereto. Bottom shelf 31 is generally similar toftop and has depending sides 38i-suitably aperture'd' through which bolts v35 and 3B' may pass for" retaining the assembly rigidly together.

Post f4 maybe formed of strips of metal 40, 4l and 42 respectively. Strips 4U and 4| are`prefer` ably integral. Strip 40 may be' bent to have a section as shown in Figure 3 whereby side portion d3` and' web 44 are provided. Similarly, strip 4l, which is the other half of ti), may have side" portion 45 andweb portion Lili formed therefrom. Side portions til and 45 together form one side of the post, while weby portions M and 46 havey bolts" 4'8 and 4'9 passing therethrough. Bolts 48 and t9 also engage depending sides t I of top 30a Aft the bottom ofthe' cabinet, abutting sides fand 48 have bolts' and l' passing through tofengage' depending'sides 38 of bottom shelf il.

Strips 40' and 41' have' edgesE'S andrtextend'- ing toward the rear of the cabinet bent as shown to form a; right* angle` with respect to the main bodypf'eachistripf Thusiree" edges 53 and 5d generally lie aplane determining the back of the'cabinet..y Strip 4'2 is shaped aslshown to provide ai genei-allyV U" section with free edges .'iandil overlying-1 ledges V'531' and'- 5'4. Preferably,-

abutting edge portions 53 and 55 are spot welded to form a web. The same is true of abutting edge portions 54 and 55. It is preferred to have abutting edge portions 22 an-d 23 of post I2 spot welded at intervals to provide a rigid post construction. Abutting portions lili and 45 of post I4 may be handled similarly if desired.

Abutting edges 5l! and 55 of post I4 may be apertured near the top of the cabin-et and have bolts 58 and 59 pass through. Rear panel 50 may be retained in position by bolts 58 and 59,``

rear panel 59 having its edge portion lying snugly under edge portion 5t. If desired, panel 69 may be on the outside lying along edge portion 55.

Similarly, at the bottom of the cabinet, bolts 52 and 53 pass through abutting edges 54 and 56 and also retain the lower portion of panel 6,9

in position. It is understood that each of the bolts has suitable nuts and lock washers for mainV taining the assembly intact. Side panel 55 may also be retained in position between front post I2 and rear post I5 by engagementl with bolts 25, 29, i8 and 49 at the top and 35, 36, 59 andv5l at the bottom.

Post I3 is identical in construction with post I2. Post I5 is practically the same as post I5 with the exce-ption that abutting edge portions 55 and 53 have bolts therethrough at the top and bottom, these bolts corresponding to bolts 53, 59, 62 and 53 in post I4. This is in addition to bolts 58 and 59 passing through abutting edges 54 and 55. Post I'I is the image of post I4 with abutting edges 53 and 55 having bolts passing through at the top and bottom. Free edges 56 and 54 do not have any bolts passing through.

It is clear that the structure so far described, namely front and rear posts and top and bottom shelves, form a rigid skeleton construction. By virtue of this rigid construction, it is possible to utilize the strength of vthe metal to the fullest extent. Thus, the gauge of metal used may be lighter than would normally be the case.

Top panel 30 has depending sides 3l and depending front and rear portions I5 and 'I6 respectively. At each corner of the panel or shelf,

rectangular cut-out 'I1 is provided to clear a portion of front and rear posts. By virtue of clearance cut-out "VI, sides 3i may come up against the bolt retaining portions of the post. Front face 'I5 may extend between side 35 of post I2 and side I8 of post I3. The same relationship obtains at the rear post where rear face 'H comes up against the bolt retaining portions of the rear posts along the plane of the rear of the cabinet.

The top panel may be strengthened by having the metal doubled along front portions 'I5 and along a strip 80 near the front of the top of the panel. The free edge of the metal vforming the panel may be rolled to form tube BI running the width of the cabinet section.

Bottom shelf 3l may be shaped in exactly the same manner as top panel 38 with the exception that portion 80 in shelf 31 is slightly narrower than the corresponding portion 80 in panel 30. Thus, depending front portion I6 `of-'bottoin shelf 31 will come inside of the vertical plane determined by front portion 'I6 of top panel 38. If desired, front portion I5 and 16 of the two panels may lie in the same vertical plane.

In order to accommodate shelving, the front and rear posts are provided with a series of aligned slots, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Since the slots in the front posts are all the same, a detailed description of one front post onlyA will be given. Thus, post I3 appears in Figure 2. Side 4 20 of post I3 has a series of spaced slots 83. These slots are aligned vertically and consist of a generally horizontal portion 84 and an arcuate portion 85 terminating at 86. Arcuate portion 85 extends downwardly toward the bottom of the cabinet. It will be noted that slot 83 takes up a substantial portion of side 20 of the post. The exact proportion may vary within wide limits and depends,l among other things, on the gauge of metal used, the strength to be retained in the post. Slot 83 has portion 81 extending around to vfront face I9 of the post toward the center of the post for a short distance, this distance also vbeing Vdetermined, by various clearance and strength considerations. Slot portion 81 has transverse wings II4 to accommodate the locking ends onthe sheli supports.

Side I8 of post I3 has similar slots, so that the slot construction is symmetrical with respect to a center line passing down side I9 of the post. Posts I2 and I6 are similarly slotted. In the case of `these posts, where the outer series of slots are not necessary, it is clear that the unused series of slots may be omitted.. However, in order to avoid having a large number of differently shaped parts and to avoid having different stamping operations, a uniform post construction is preferred. The distance between adjacent slots in a post may be varied within wide limits, depending upon the desired flexibility of shelf arrangement.

Rear post. I5 also has slots 88, these slots being generally similar in shape, disposition, and arrangement to the slots in the front posts. All the rear posts are handled in a similar manner.

Intermediate shelves for cooperation with these slots in the front and rear posts are provided, a detail of such a shelf being shown in Figure 5. Thus, shelf 92 may have depending sides 93 and generally similar front and rear portions 95. Sides 93 do not extend the full width of the shelf, but are cut short to provide clearance space 95 at the four corners of the shelf. In order to increase the rigidity of the shelf, front and rear portions 95 may have the metal thereof doubled over to provide inner layer 91 and layer 98. The free edge of the metal is rolled to form a generally tubular structure IUI) with supporting end IBI extending beyond sides 93, The ends are curled "at |92 to provide a locking portion. Thus a circular flange is formed at each protruding end portion,v their being four for each shelf. The flange portion is so dimensioned as to lock the shelf into the slots against sideward removal. Thus the shelf would tend to lock the four posts against excessive -play or movement.

The length of part IOI may be varied within wide limits and will depend in a large measure upon clearances and tolerances. It is clear that the distance of tubular portion I back from portion 95 will depend upon the dimensions of the slots in the. post. The diameter of tubular portion |00 is such that it will lit snugly into the slots with flares |02 clearing slot wings II4. Obviously, the shelf is suitably dimensioned so that supports IUI nt into agroup of locking slots.

In order to install a shelf, supporting tubular portions IUI are inserted into a series of registering slots in the front and rear posts and the shelf pushed rearwardly of the cabinet Thus, supporting portions IOI will ride along the slots and carry the shelf downwardly and rearwardly to the position shown in Figure 2. In this position, front and rear` portions 95 will be disposed as side of the supporting posts,

Referring to Figure 7, a modified shelf construction is shown wherein metal |05 of the shelf is bent down along the front and rear of the shelf to form sides |05 and then bent rearwardly and upwardly to form slanting panel |01. Panel |91 extends up to the bottom face of metal |95 of the shelf. The precise dimensions and angles are unimportant. The extreme edges of the metal are rolled to form a tubular structure |08 having extensions |09 near each corner of the shelf. The ends of the extensions are curled or flared at H0.

If desired, a shelf may be supported in a tilted position by choosing one pair of slots in the front posts and a different pair of slots in the rear posts. IIhis, of course, is only possible if adjacent slots in one post are spaced sufficiently close so that four supporting portions |91 may simultaneously enter four slots. Thus, the front of the shelf will be horizontal, but at a different level than the rear of the shelf, which will also be horizontal. In this way, the immediate shelves may be tilted either forwardly or rearwardly as the case may be. To remove or change the position of a shelf, it need only be lifted and pulled away. i

By virtue of the shelf construction, the strength of the metal is fully utilized so that light gauge metal may be used advantageously.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cabinet construction, a readily removable rectangular shelf comprising a sheet metal shelf cut and rolled to the shape desired, said shelf having two parallel edges curled over to form generally tubular edge portions, the metal forming the tubular edge portions being extended beyond the normal shelf length to form supporting portions.

2. In a metal cabinet con-struction, a plurality of supporting posts, each post comprising a length of metal shaped to form a hollow post having a cross section forming a substantially closed figure and having a fr-ont and oppositely disposed sides adjacent to said front and spaced from each other, at least one series of regularly spaced slots in each post extending from a part of the front of the post around to one side thereof, each slot extending perpendicular to the post length along the front and continuing rearwardly and downwardly at the side of the post, a cabinet section having four corner posts with the four series of slots facing each other, a pluralit7 of rectangular shelves, one shelf being adapted to engage four slots of the four posts, each shelf comprising a shelf portion shaped to fit between the posts and having protruding tubular porti-ons engaging the slots in said posts, each shelf being adapted to be disposed perpendicular to the posts and slid backward and downward with the tubular portions engaging the slots to maintain the same in position, eachl shelf having rolled edge portions extending along the front and rear edges, said rolled edges eX- tending beyond the shelf proper to form the tubular portions.

The structure of claim 2 wherein each post has a generally rectangular cross section.

4. In a steel cabinet construction, a readily removable shelf comprising a sheet metal member stamped to the rectangular shape required, said member having a pair of opposing edges curled ,to form generally tubular portions for increasing the rigidity of said shelf, said tubular portions extending beyond the shelf proper and having ared locking ends.

5. The structure of claim 2 wherein said protruding tubular portions have flared ends for locking in said slots.

6. The structure 0f claim 2 wherein said posts have a generally rectangular cross-section and wherein said protruding tubular portions have flared ends for looking in said slots.

DONALD KLINE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 777,256 Holden Dec. 13, 1904 1,030,472 Krag June 25, 1912 1,080,203 Dungan Dec. 2, 1913 1,200,321 Denning Oct. 3, 1916 1,303,613 Svebilius May 13, 1919 1,375,869 Vance Apr. 26, 1921 1,389,697 Phipps Sept. 6, 1921 1,435,321 Meyer Nov. 14, 1922 1,554,011 Lehman Sept. 15, 1925 1,814,084 Goldberg July 14, 1931 1,820,716 yVance Aug. 25, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 469,120 Great Britain July 20, 1937 

